


The Magic Number

by Emeraldfaun



Category: Outlast
Genre: Alternate Universe - Witchcraft, M/M, Multi, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-04
Updated: 2015-10-06
Packaged: 2018-04-24 18:17:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4930090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emeraldfaun/pseuds/Emeraldfaun
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Waylons' newest familiars, Miles and Eddie, may not get along, but that's the least of his worries when his work at Murkoff Tech gets shadier and shadier.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. New Familiarity

Waylon Park had a lot to think about on his way home. His boss, Jeremy Blaire, at Murkoff Technologies had offered him a promotion that day. It caught him off guard as he really thought his boss hated him. And to be frank, he really wished his boss did; the man had something about him that just made Waylon feel like at any moment, he would be eaten alive by the smug bastard in a suit. Infact, the entire place really gave him such vibes. Which is one of the few reasons why he wasn't sure what to do with the promotion offer. Gods, Waylon couldn't wait for the day he launched his software company and quit Murkoff.  
  
And to add to his hampered mood, he found that Lisa Park (no relation to Waylon, oddly enough) left another care package at his doorstep when he got home. He sighed a conflicted sigh. Lisa was a devout woman of the local Mount Massive Lutheran church. She was kind to Waylon despite Waylon's aversion for Christian establishments, so he liked her. But probably not the same way she like him. She always had a crush on him since he moved to Mount Massive for work, but something told him that she was hiding something. He hadn't witnessed any of the local rumors that were spread but from what he heard (which wasn't much; Waylon was quite the solitary creature) apparently, she had some traits of a healer in her. Some say she was a miracle worker. Others say she was a witch. Waylon scoffed, amused. If only they knew.  
  
Waylon was raised Christian but eventually, when Waylon grew up and the mysticism and wonder of life had faded, he became atheist for quite a while. But eventually, while he was still living under his parents' roof, he learned about witchcraft. His first exposure to it was through a friend who was reading up on Wicca for an anthropology paper. Curious and open minded (though Waylon is shy, he is not one to be pushed around by the status quo), Waylon investigated the research his friend did and learned first the fundamentals of Wicca (and a little about witchcraft in general) then some basic magical techniques he could try himself. Eventually, a few months into his research, he realized this was right for him; he felt happier, stronger, and everything just felt right. It was hard to explain, but when he began practicing magic and praying, it felt like this was where he was supposed to be. But his parents did not agree. One day, Waylon's father was using his computer and found Waylon's Book of Shadows in a Word document. That was a long night. It was hard to come to terms with the fact that his parents would never accept who he was, but life moved on. This Waylon knew for sure.  
  
Which was one of the few reasons he wasn't so sure about Lisa. Waylon hadn't come out of the broom closet to anyone in Mount Massive. It somewhat was an advantage; you weren't really supposed to talk a lot about the magic you did otherwise it might interfere with its potency. Not to mention it might be dangerous it such a small, conservative town. As much as he wanted to believe it was a quiet, peaceful town, he wasn't so sure what the locals were capable of.  
  
Dwelling on that thought, he was especially bewildered when he entered his home and found a giant sentient flower standing upright and poking around papers on the kitchen table.  
  
At first, Waylon didn't believe what he was seeing, but at the same time, he couldn't deny it; it were definitely there in his kitchen. Being a witch, Waylon didn't take strange appearances of nature in his life lightly, so he thought about how he could interact with the flower to find out what the universe was trying to tell him.  
  
But while he was watching the flower and thinking, a spider suddenly shot out from behind the fruit basket on the desk and climbed up the flower. Waylon gasped, immediately looking around for something to swat the spider away when suddenly, the spider began to shout, "Hey, you honestly think cherry blossom over here is the only interesting thing to look at in the room?!"  
  
Waylon was surprised, to say the least, but now he was curious. He nervously held his ground. "U-um, no?"  
  
As the spider reached one of the flower's petals, the flower then turned to Waylon. "Don't listen to him, he's just horrible with first impressions."  
  
The spider countered, "I'm horrible with first impressions? Darling, you always stumble over your own roots when you meet people!"  
  
But flower wouldn't have that. "Yeah, at least I don't scare people all the time. And would you get off me! What do you think I am, some show pony?!"  
  
The spider chuckled. "No, but I know you're always willing to be saddled any time, darling."  
  
Waylon finally realized that these two weren't just some spider and some flower and that it would probably be proper for some formal introductions. "Um, well, I'm Waylon Park... unless you already knew that." He extended a hand but then realized that probably wasn't the best option in this situation.  
  
As the spider jumped off the flower's head, the flower finally replied, "I'm Miles." He poked at the spider. "That's Eddie."  
  
Eddie bowed to Waylon. "Nice to meet you, darling."  
  
Waylon waved back awkwardly. "Hi. Um, may I ask what you're doing in my house?"  
  
Eddie started, "Well, apparently, darling, we are your new familiars."  
  
That struck something with Waylon. He had a few familiars in the past, all had come and gone once their need in his life was fulfilled. But he had always communicated with them through meditation in the incorporeal world, never on Earth. "... Well, what you're currently seeing on my face is just... confusion. My familiars have never come to me in the flesh."  
  
Eddie spoke again. "We must admit, we are a bit confused too. We've never had fleshed out bodies either."  
  
Miles spoke up. "Well, we did once, but that was because-."  
  
But Eddie interrupted him. "Don't bring him up, darling. Just don't."  
  
Miles tapped his roots impatiently but Eddie just ignored him. Waylon decided to speak up again. "Hm, well then, I guess you guys can make yourselves at home... Really, because I don't know how I would go about doing that-."  
  
Suddeny, there was a knock at the door. Waylon excused himself politely as he rushed to the door. He shook himself out to restart his mind and opened the door with a broad smile but fell crestfallen when he realized who it was. "Oh, hello, Lisa-."  
  
Waylon was rudely interrupted as Lisa practically ignored him and barged right into his home. Dang, the woman was strong. Still, she seemed very happy as she gleefully chirped, "Waylon, it's been so long since I've seen you! How are you? Did you get my cookies and tomato sauce?"  
  
Waylon just stood there. "Oh, that's what was in this week's package?" Realizing how rude he was being, he tried to catch himself. "Not to be rude, but I didn't exactly invite you in." Dammit. Nice going, Park.  
  
But fortunately, Lisa played along. "I know but... it's been so long since we've spent some time together! And my place is just a mess right now and-." She paused. "... Is someone else here?"  
  
Waylon gulped. Lisa may have seemed like a nice person, but he wasn't sure how she would take the sight of an arguing flower and spider. He tried to lead her out of the place. "I really think you should go take care of that mess then!"  
  
But she was just too strong. "Oh come on, Waylon, you rarely have guests over! I'd love to meet whoever would associate themselves with such a fine bachelor."  
  
Just when Waylon wanted to throw up in his mouth, two men walked out of his kitchen and into his foyer. "'Lisa,' did I hear correct? My name is Miles. Miles Upshur." The smaller man now reaching out his hand to shake sounded just like the flower.  
  
"Eddie Gluskin." And the other man sounded just like the spider.  
  
Lisa greeted Miles with a warm smile but the smile began to fade when she shook Eddie's hand. Now she sounded half as chipper as usual (which was still plenty) as she turned to Waylon and said, "Well, you seem like you've got your hands full of visitors today, so I'll go take care of that mess now. Bye-bye, Way-Way!"  
  
As she left, Waylon gently shut the door behind her. But when he turned to his familiars, he screamed, "What the everloving HELL did you do that for?! Now Lisa's gonna spread around that people are living with me and that's the last thing I need!"  
  
While Eddie remained visibly calm, Miles wasn't about to have that. "We just saved your ass, Mister! If she'd seen us in the kitchen like that, you would have been majorly fucked-!"  
  
Eddie put his hand infront of Miles' chest and calmly stated. "What he means to say is that we didn't want Lisa to be spreading around worse things and that would have happened if we had remained in our animal forms. I'm terribly sorry that we caused you such stress, darling, but you must understand that it was unavoidable."  
  
Waylon uncrossed his arms. He didn't even realize his arms were crossed but something about Eddie just calmed him down so well. Eddie was really growing onto him.  
  
But could he really afford to keep two new people in his house? Really, you weren't supposed to just throw away familiars like that, but still, the cost of three people in his house instead of one...  
  
He sighed to himself. Looks like he was going to take that promotion after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those curious: Miles is specifically a chocolate vine (Akebia quinta). Chapter two is already in the works and will probably be posted soon.


	2. Business and Pleasure

Thankfully, being as it was a familiar's job to help and protect their humans, it involved a lot of observation and therefore, Waylon didn't have to teach them things like taking care of their bodies or what electronics did. These two seemed to be especially technically savy for a couple of souls who just landed on Earth. Waylon wanted to ask how they were so fluent and comfortable with technology but decided not to being as they had just met.  
  
That night, Waylon prepared a dish for three and the three enjoyed a... relatively relaxed meal. Whether they were going to be together for the next few months or several years Waylon did not know but one thing was for sure was that it wasn't going to be a boring span of time; no matter what Waylon said, Miles or Eddie would use it as an excuse to grate on the nerves of the other familiar. Whether the two would turn it into politics or a personal backstory jab, that night, they had Waylon laughing all through dinner.  
  
Waylon didn't want to say it outloud, but clearly, there was also something else about Miles and Eddie that seemed to draw them so close other than their intense loathing for each other. Either way, they both ended up sleeping on the couch without a peep while Waylon rested in his own bed.  
  
The next morning, Waylon woke up to bickering coming from his living room. He was groggy so he decided to just lay in bed and listen for a bit.  
  
"I told you to keep to your side!"  
  
"That's a bit hard for me to do with your head on my shoulder all night, darling."  
  
"What does that have to do with anything? Dammit, now my neck hurts!"  
  
"Watch you language, darling, this is someone else's house."  
  
"How about if I watch my language, you watch my goddamn foot go up your ass?"  
  
Waylon couldn't stifle the laugh that rose in him fast enough. This was definitely going to be an interesting period in his lifetime.

* * *

Miles was unusually comfortable right now; he was curled up in a blanket on the floor. It was an incredibly stormy day, stormy enough that there was no point in trying to bask in the sunlight. This absolutely ticked him off; he hated being cooped up inside like a potted kitchen herb. It had been like this for at least four days straight. Being on the floor wasn’t helping, then again, considering what had just happened, he really had no choice.  
  
Eddie sighed loudly next to him, reminding him of the situation he was in. It was not a nice distraction at all, despite all the thoughts rattling in Miles’ head with the cabin fever he was currently developing. It seemed that Miles’ companion always had to have the spotlight on him, even in the afterglow of fabulous hatesex. When they became corporeal and woke up in Waylon's house, they continued fucking, but now in secret. Miles felt a little bad about it, being as it was someone else’s house. A certain short, chubby, and cute (all big pluses for Miles) someone else’s house who was totally single…  
  
“When do you think Way-Way will be home, darling?” Eddie interrupted his thoughts again. Eddie didn’t normally call Waylon that; it was Miles’ nickname for their witch and Eddie was clearly using it to rile him up. Eddie knew he had a crush on Waylon. He had never said so, but Miles’ interest in Waylon was as clear as day.  
  
“I don’t know.” Miles sighed, a bit depressed. He felt so confused and he hated being confused. He had been fucking with Eddie for gods know how long, but at the same time, he wanted Waylon; he wanted something new. But he knew if he wanted Waylon, then Waylon couldn’t know he was involved with Eddie and there was no way Waylon didn’t already realize something was going on between them. Unless Waylon was innocent enough to not realize. As hopeful as Miles was about that, he knew witches were good readers of people’s energy and the tension between Eddie and Miles was absolutely not chaste.  
  
Much to Miles’ displeasure, Eddie started again. “Then that means he’s either coming home or he’s never coming home. I’m going to say he’s never coming home. What a shame.” Then Eddie wrapped his arm around Miles and pulled him closer. “Guess the place is all ours then-.”  
  
“Oh please, don’t even try to flatter yourself. I can tell he’s still in town.” Miles tried to push Eddie away but the older familiar was too strong. Miles sighed.  
  
But Eddie wouldn’t stop. “What’s wrong, darling? It pains me to see you like this.”  
  
Miles couldn’t tell if Eddie was genuine or not, but he wasn’t in the mood for this. “I’m always like this.”  
  
“Not like this. Not since we were assigned to Waylon.”  
  
Suddenly, Miles slapped Eddie on the arm and pushed himself away from the bigger familiar while he was in shock. “Would you stop it?! I’m fine!” Miles stared at the ceiling while Eddie stared at him. Finally, Miles cleared his throat and started, “You think it’s Waylon that’s caused the change in my mood?”  
  
Eddie chuckled and patted him on the head like he was a child. “I’d say he’s changed your mood  _swings_ , darling.”  
  
Miles glared at him and Eddie gulped, knowing that now was the perfect time to shut up for a while. And that was a good thing, for Miles had a lot to say. “I’m not sure what I want nor what I can do. I’m very interested in Waylon if you already can’t tell. We get along so well… just like you and me, except in a different way. We have such a good level of communication… Not to get deep here, but honestly, I’ve never really been in love. I hope you’re not offended, I mean, I’m pretty sure you don’t consider this love.” Miles looked back at Eddie and he looked alright with the conversation, but what really was bothering Miles was how frustrating this ambiguity of emotion was. “… I want to know more about Waylon, so much more.”  
  
Finally, Eddie cleared his throat. “You’re such a young familiar, it’s understandable that you’ve never been in love. And I’m glad you haven’t been. I have been in love on a few occasions and let me tell you, those relationships definitely weren’t worth my time. But you and Waylon… you have something, something I’ve never had. Something I wish I could have.”  
  
Eddie then drifted off in his speech. It really sounded like he wanted to say more, but Miles couldn’t figure it out. Miles continued anyway. “Wow, I… I didn’t know that, Eddie. That really sucks to have wasted energy with such people…”  
  
The two kind of just stared at the ceiling for a little bit before Eddie started, “Well, tell me, what do you like about him?”  
  
Miles sighed, this time smiling. “Pillow talk? Alright.” Miles shifted so he could be at an angle to properly speak to Eddie. “Well, you know his quirks like when he taps his pencil on the desk every once in a while? I think that’s really cute. Or when he laughs a little too long and tries to save the conversation. Gosh, he’s just too cute. And when he’s typing and his lips are parted slightly and his toes splay, that just steals my fucking heart…”  
  
“Yeah, when he types with his cute little hands and his curly mess of hair brushes his eyebrows-.”  
  
“Wait a minute, what?”  
  
Eddie shifted to look at Miles. “Oh! It’s just… nothi-.”  
  
“Nothing? NOTHING?! You just called Waylon’s hands little and cute!” Eddie tried to turn away but Miles just stared at him. “Oh my gods.” Miles pulled back while Eddie tried to look at him with a blush creeping up his neck. “Oh my gods oh my gods OH MY GODS YOU LIKE HIM TOO!”  
  
Eddie kept eye contact with Miles, doing his best to recover. “Maybe!”  
  
But it wasn’t good enough. “Wow! Oh my gods, I can’t fucking believe Eddie Gluskin has a crush on Waylon Park!” Eddie didn’t say anything as his blush grew. “Wow… I bet you have tons of fantasies about him too.”  
  
Eddie was shocked at that. “What-?! I thought you said your idea of dating him was really vague!”  
  
Miles smirked. “Hey, we’re not exactly dating are we?” Eddie looked to the floor, a bit crestfallen. “Thought admittedly, it would be nice to have more with him, I’d settle for sex with that little toasted marshmallow.”  
  
“Isn’t that racist?”  
  
“No, it’s not, it’s perfect. He’s small, tan, hot, and full of creamy goodness just waiting for my mouth.” Miles licked his lips in exaggeration.  
  
But Eddie countered right away. “If he’s a toasted marshmallow, then I guess you’d better be prepared for a s’more sandwich.”  
  
It was a lame counter, admittedly, but Miles still understood and it caught him off guard. “Wait, you honestly think you have a chance with him? Ha, please, old man, don’t make me cry!”  
  
Eddie wasn’t about to be done over. “You think this old dog doesn’t know a few tricks? Your emotional scatterbrain is no match for my aged experience!”  
  
Though Miles had gotten Eddie on the defensive, the comment about his mind still got on his nerves in ways he didn’t expect. “Oh yeah? Then tell me about all that experience then! Tell me all those times you triumphed in relationships! Oh wait, that’s right, you didn’t!”  
  
As much as that hurt, Eddie wasn’t about to let Miles win. Fortunately, he was the more logical and level-headed of the two, so he replied, “Hmph, well fine, let’s let Waylon decide! Let’s see who he’ll want by the end of the month!” Eddie put out his left hand. "Deal?”

And Miles shook it. “Deal!”

* * *

When Waylon got home from work that day, Miles and Eddie were... oddly busy. He was about to ask them what they were doing but didn't want to stop Miles from his sweeping and dusting or Eddie from his cooking (the kitchen was a few rooms away from the front door but Waylon could hear the sizzle of an oiled pan). When the two realized Waylon was home, Miles immediately paused his work and attended to Waylon. "Welcome home!" He took Waylon's bag and brought it to Waylon's room.  
  
Meanwhile, Eddie was able to stop his work and came over to Waylon. "Ah, welcome home, darling. I see Miles has already taken your things." Even with Miles, Waylon had become a bit unnerved when he got home. Eddie was especially no better; though he always had a calm demeanor, his sheer size was simply intimidating, especially compared to Waylon's short stature (shorter than Miles, actually).  
  
But still, he put on a smile and responded, "It's quite alright. I'm sure Miles knows what he's doing-."  
  
He went to head to his room and unpack his bag when Eddie hugged him. This stopped Waylon and rendered him speechless. He wasn't exactly sure if he should return the hug or not but Eddie had released him before he could even decide. Eddie saw the confused look on his face and shrugged. "Just wanted give you a proper welcoming."  
  
When Miles returned, he stood beside Eddie, the tension between them extremely obvious to Waylon. Still, Miles started, "What can we do to make you comfortable, Waylon?"  
  
Waylon just furrowed his brow and crossed his arms. "Alright guys, what's up? Why are you doing all these nice things for me?" Waylon had good reason to ask. He hadn't even hung his keys up on the key rack and Miles and Eddie had already given him a whole welcome party, not to mention they'd cleaned up his house and cooked what smelled like a full meal for him.  
  
Eddie simply responded, "Well, we are your familiars, so by nature, we are your servants."  
  
Waylon just waved him off. "It's okay guys. Really. I'm a grown man, I don't need servants. I'm sure you guys are busy enough by yourselves doing... um, familiarly stuff."  
  
Miles shrugged. "Nah, to be honest, most of the time, we're pretty bored unless you're home."  
  
But Waylon was not convinced so Eddie took over. "Why don't you taste my cooking and see how Miles has tidied up and judge for yourself if we should continue acting as your servants?"  
  
Waylon casually agreed to that. And Eddie was right; his cooking was fabulous, Miles had made his house spick and span spotless, and Waylon's thoughts about ulterior motives were quelled.

* * *

It was a dark and stormy night, and Miles knew that tonight was the perfect opportunity to get ahead of Eddie in their little competition. When he crept into Waylon's room, Waylon was sound asleep and curled up all cozy. Miles almost didn't want to wake him, but knew that if he didn't take this chance, then another might not come by for a while.  
  
He gently tapped Waylon on the arm and his witch immediately woke. "Miles? What are you doing in my room? Something wrong?" His voice was oddly not groggy as if he had just woken up from sleep.  
  
Miles discarded the mental note and just continued with his jumpy facade. "I don't know, I just... I just don't feel like you're safe tonight."  
  
"... Okay?"  
  
"You see, I don't know why but I'm just getting this strong vibration that something is lurking around tonight, so I thought I'd come and sleep here in to protect you." Miles put the most sincerity he could into the last part.  
  
Waylon easily accepted what Miles' said and just scooted over. "Okay."  
  
Miles couldn't help it when a grin took over his face and he jumped into bed. But then, he heard a voice from the other side of the bed call out, "What's with the commotion, darling?"  
  
Dammit.  
  
Waylon just responded calmly, "Nothing, Eddie. It's just Miles, he felt something was up and came to take care of me too."  
  
There wasn't a response from Eddie for a while, but finally, he settled back down. "Ahh, okay. Good night, Waylon. Sleep tight, Miles." The last sentence was said with much sarcasm but Waylon said nothing.  
  
When Waylon started gently snoring, Miles adjusted himself so he could get a good glare at Eddie. And Eddie was indeed glaring back with a toothy grin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really invested in this fic so the third chapter will probably come out sooner than later.


	3. One Is Silver And The Other Is Trash

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaand NOW we jump into the real story!

The next morning, when Eddie woke up, he was startled. Startled by what he did not know but all he knew when he woke up was that now there was a serious knot in his neck and he was having trouble regaining his breath. Eventually, he got to a calmer state but it took a while. The strangest thing of it all was how cold he felt and he had noticed this for a few days now; though it was barely September, the air was getting so cold. Miles apparently could feel it too, but Waylon was a bit oblivious, as in, he could feel the cold but couldn't feel it gripping his soul into paralyzing fear. Perhaps it really was a good thing that they had slept with Waylon that night.

It was that thought that made Eddie realize what a... compromising position he was currently in. He looked down and saw his hand was currently entangled with Miles' hand and their hands laid across Waylon's chest. He immediately withdrew his hand, which caused Miles to stir. "What-?" He looked at Waylon, then Eddie. "... Eddie, what are you doing-? Goddamn it's cold!"

Miles rubbed his arms and was just about to cover his head with the blanket when Eddie whispered."Don't you find that a little strange?"

Miles settled to keep the blanket up to his neck and looked Eddie in the eye. "What?"

Eddie sounded insecure in his words, but resolute in his feelings. "I mean... don't get me wrong, but I just feel like something's up. It doesn't feel like this is the regular climate for this region..."

Miles finished his thought. "And you think there's a reason behind that." Eddie nodded and Miles sighed. "Well, if you really want to, when Waylon wakes up, we could perform a cleansing and protection ritual on the house. Other than that, I don't know what to say."

Eddie shrugged. "I guess that's the way to go."

When Waylon did wake up, he could hear Miles and Eddie bickering in his kitchen.

"Darling, please stop! You don't know what you're looking through!"

"Shut up! I've had enough of your yammering! I know Waylon has the proper salts here somewhere and-!"

"But do you think it's proper to be looking through your witch's things, especially ritual things, without his permission?"

"Just shut up!"

When Waylon got up, Eddie and Miles explained to him that they were simply looking for salt for a banishing ritual. Though Miles had sounded extremely frustrated, Eddie was looking more on edge than he was. Waylon wasn't sure why, but he still tried to use logic with Eddie to calm him down.

Once they had all eaten, things were calm, and they were all grounded, the three began cleansing the house. Of course, Eddie was extremely worried; he rarely felt so panicked and, dare he say it, scared and worst of all was that he didn't know why. However, he knew he couldn't let his witch see that and had to keep calm. He tried to remember Waylon's mantra to him that it was possible that a wayward spirit or two was just passing by and they were most likely harmless for nothing had happened to the three of them yet. Waylon was always so kind to him... Eddie really wished that he could do more for him. But of course, that would all depend on if Waylon would emotionally let him in. He knew he was so close... yet he felt so far.

Meanwhile, as Miles watched Waylon and Eddie interact, he envied how close they were and things like how comfortable Waylon was when their hands lingered when Eddie passed him the salts and his athame and how Eddie had that dumb complacent smile on his face as he watched their witch's lips reading off the ritual language. Worst of all, he didn't know why it made him so angry, frustrated, and sad all at the same time. He established that he just wanted sex from Waylon, right? And nothing else? Because that sure wasn't what it sounded like now that he was thinking about it.

By the end of the ritual, Waylon, on the other hand, was quite happy. He was pleased that he had successfully performed a ritual with his familiars... but the afterglow didn't last too long for he looked at the clock and exclaimed, "Oh jeez, I have to go to work!"

When Waylon said "work," it was like he was on a megaphone shouting "fire." Something told Eddie he shouldn't go, not without him at least. This was not a selfish need for his lover's presence. He knew what that felt like: the longing, the constant replaying of all the moments you've had thus far with them, the jittery antsiness of having nothing on your mind but them until you see them again. But this was not that. This was fear.

When Eddie looked at Miles, Miles was looking back at him. Miles was feeling the same thing too, just to a lesser degree. So, Eddie stepped infront of Waylon as his witch went to pack his bag. "Um, Waylon, darling, it it's alright with you, we'd like to come to work with you."

Waylon looked up at him, puzzled. "Guys, I'm fine. I'm been working at this job for months now, today isn't going to be much different than any other day."

He tried to maneuver around Eddie but Eddie was fast as well as strong. He still didn't want to get Waylon worried too, so he simply countered, "We could shift into our familiar forms, you know. We wouldn't be an inconvenience to you then."

Miles chimed in. "Yeah, it could be cool, Way-Way! Bring Your Familiar To Work Day!"

Though Eddie cringed as he felt that Miles had laid it on a little too thick, Waylon just shrugged and gave in. "Alright then. I think I have a clay pot around here somewhere..."

So, Waylon gathered the pot and some soil and when he came back, Eddie and Miles had already shifted into their familiar forms. Miles, somewhat walking on the longest vines, slithered into the pot and settled his roots in. Waylon continued packing his bag, packed his familiars into his car, and onto work he went.

A few of his coworkers gave him odd looks for carrying in such a viney potted plant, but it really was only a handful that noticed him. Miles and Eddie got the feeling that Waylon didn't get along too well with anyone at work. When Waylon got to his office, however, it was rather nice and roomy. It looked like he was really cared for here by whoever his boss was. Miles was set down near the window while Eddie settled to be a paperweight on Waylon's main desk. Even as Waylon began melodically tapping away at the keyboard, the worries of the two familiars just would not subside.

Just as the two were finally beginning to relax and get situated into Waylon's routine, Eddie's hairs stood on end. He hissed and got into a position to spring into defensive, which caught Miles' attention. The two got the attention of their witch but before they could warn Waylon, the door swung open.

Waylon however, was completely calm. "Oh, hey, Mr. Blaire."

"Good morning, Mr. Park-GOOD GOD!" Blaire screamed when he saw Eddie on the desk. Eddie however did not back down; despite being such a big spider and clearly not just some spider from the corner of the room, he still held his ground.

This meant that Waylon now had some explaining to do. "There's no need to worry, Mr. Blaire, this is indeed mine-!"

But Blaire immediately calmed himself. "It's quite alright, Mr. Park. I just wanted to check on you this morning and remind you that those reports are due by the end of the month." Waylon kept looking at him nervously as if he was going to say more, so Blaire then continued. "And yes, Mr. Park, you can keep your spider in the office, just keep him in a tank from now on, okay?"

Waylon gulped and nodded. But as Blaire walked out the door, Eddie immediately trailed behind. Waylon was about to call after him, but a leafy vine on his shoulder cautioned him otherwise. "Waylon, I gotta tell you about Blaire." Miles whispered.

Waylon turned to him. "Um... okay. What do you need to tell me?"

Though Miles didn't have a face right now, he was clearly even more nervous than Waylon. "Well, it's just..." He sighed. "Gosh, I wish Eddie was here right now. Anyway, Jeremy - that's his first name - Jeremy Blaire. He was our witch before you." Waylon's lips formed an "o" but he remained silent. "Long story short, we do NOT like Jeremy. Let's just say... someone like you who actually lets us eat at the table with them was a nice surprise after someone like Jeremy."

Waylon's eyebrows raised. "... Oh... wow. Should I talk to him-?"

"No, Waylon, whatever you do, try your best to stay away from him. He's bad news, Waylon, and I really mean BAD."

Waylon sat back in his seat and then leaned forward again and grabbed one of Miles' vines. "Gosh... I'm so sorry, Miles. I'm sorry for both you and Eddie. Did he ever lay a hand on you?"

Miles sighed. "Well, he did beat us a few times... and locked us in the cellar once... but other than that, no."

Waylon thought about it to himself. Someone as strong as Eddie let someone as small as Jeremy hit him... there was definitely something going on that Waylon didn't know about.

* * *

Eddie was able to sneak into Jeremy's office with ease. When he got there, he had somewhat of an idea of what he was going to say and do, but he knew he really was just going to be playing it by ear while making sure that Waylon was safe.

As soon as the door closed behind Jeremy and Eddie, Jeremy turned to face is former familiar, but Eddie was faster. He had already shifted into his human form and had Jeremy by the throat slammed backwards against his own desk. "YOU." Eddie nearly growled like an animal. The grip on Jeremy's throat was tight enough that he couldn't speak - evidenced by his sputtering - so Eddie continued, "I don't know what you're doing or what you think you're doing but you better be sure as hell that you stay the **FUCK** away from Waylon!"

But then, as if he had planned it, Jeremy then suddenly twisted Eddie's arms in a way that he was able to break free. Eddie was shocked, but wasn't about to give up. Jeremy caught his breath and started, "Oh please, I actually have been doing my best to keep away from Mr. Park. He keeps getting too close after all." Even nearly out of breath, he still was able to talk like a jackass.

Eddie spat, "What does that even mean?"

Jeremy put his hands on his hips and sighed, "Well, after you and flower boy left me, I reconsidered my options and decided to finally give up on The Gate."

But Eddie wasn't buying it. He crossed his arms. "Oh? If that's so, then why are you so nervous about Waylon coming "so close?" So close to what, Blaire?"

"I wouldn't want him to report me for what I _have_ done, now would I?"

That caught Eddie's attention. Report what? What has Blaire done that would be reportable? And to whom? But before he could ask there was a knock on the door. "Something wrong, Mr. Blaire? Heard someone else in here and they didn't sound pleased."

But when the assistant had opened the door, Eddie had already shifted into his familiar form and scurried out of the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! I can't believe how many hits this has gotten in less than 24 hours! Thank you so much, guys! Chapter 4 will probably be out soon as well.


	4. Fair and Square

Waylon must have been working at his computer for at least half an hour yet the new firewall system he was creating wasn't working. He didn't know how to proceed with his work, so he decided to take a break and go for a walk. The town of Mount Massive didn't really live up to its name; it was a quaint little town and most of the shops were run by families. There were even some small farms here and there. Waylon actually worked in a nearby small city, but when he moved to the area for his job, he didn't want to live in the city, so he settled for Mount Massive.

He looked outside. Stormy again. It wasn't raining so Waylon decided to give it a try. He was grabbing his jacket from the rack near the front door when Eddie startled him. "Where are you going, darling?"

Waylon turned around to find Eddie smiling at him. Over the last three weeks, his and Eddie's bond had surely grown, not that Miles wasn't cooperating but Miles wasn't feeling so good. Eddie blamed it on the weather but Waylon didn't think anything of it. Waylon smiled back, "Just going out for a walk, Eddie. The work is driving me mad."

Eddie's smile drooped a little at the mention of work. "Oh." He didn't realize it, but as soon as he said that the way he did, the conversation fell like a sack of potatoes and the two just stared at eachother for a bit. Eddie eventually realized this and cleared his throat, "Would you mind if I walked with you, darling?"

Waylon's smile dropped into a concerned look. "Eddie, you know, you and Miles don't have to worry about Jeremy. He can't hurt you anymore and he's been very good to me as my boss. Really, it's okay."

Eddie looked confused then shook his head, somewhat laughing. "Oh, no, it's not that! I just wanted to tag along is all." He took Waylon's hand gently. "Honestly."

Such a gentle touch for such a strong person... Waylon withdrew the hand just as gently to continue putting his coat on. "Alright then, c'mon. I know this really nice path closed off by trees."

It was certainly cold and damp but at least it wasn't not raining. From Waylon's house, one wouldn't have been able to see other houses; it was a rather secluded home. As they walked through the forest nearby Waylon's house, Eddie wondered if Waylon was always alone before him and Miles and if he was okay with that.

He tried to bring it up in a slow but sure manner. "I've noticed that there aren't a lot of people living near our house. I guess it's not such a great place to build houses or something."

Waylon responded casually. "Yeah, I guess that's why it was so cheap when I bought it."

That brought up some questions in Eddie's mind. "Did you grow up here, darling?"

"Nah, I used it live in a suburb more north in the state." Waylon found a pebble and started kicking it as they walked on wet leaves.

"Is your job what caused you to move?"

Waylon kicked the pebble a little harder than he meant to. He sped up to catch it and started kicking it again. "Well, it wasn't the only reason."

Eddie thought to himself how to approach his next question but the only thing he could manage out in the meanwhile was, "Oh?"

Waylon shrugged. "Yeah." Waylon took the silence that followed as cue for his turn. "Have you ever worked with any other familiars?"

"No, actually. Miles is definitely the first." _And hopefully the last_ , Eddie finished the sentence in his head. It actually was not out of spite; as much as they clashed and liked to get on eachother's nerves, Eddie really appreciated Miles as his friends and somewhat of a lover. He could still remember the first time they made love (though he was sure that Miles would just laugh at him and call it "fucking"), where he was so nervous and Miles was too, even as cocky as the younger familiar was out of the bedroom. He still remembered how it took them a while to figure out how to move their arms in relation to each other's and how their lips would sometimes lock a little too long and the one of them would run out of breath and they'd end up laughing at the end.

He was so lucky to have Miles in his life. So why where they competing over Waylon when they already had what they did?

Waylon could tell Eddie was thinking about something a little too hard but he didn't realize he was staring at Eddie until the familiar snapped out of it and stared back down at him. Waylon blushed, "Ahhh, sorry! Didn't mean to stare-!"

Eddie just waved him off. "No, no, it's fine. I was just... thinking."

"I could see that." That came out with a little more attitude than Waylon intended it to.

Fortunately, Eddie didn't notice it and continued. "Tell me, darling, why are you so curious about me and Miles?" This was comfortable ground; it was clear the kind of relationship Miles and Eddie had, even if what exactly the relationship itself wasn't so clear.

Waylon shrugged. "No reason, you just brought up your questions and I wanted to ask one." Wow, he really didn't know about Eddie and Miles. Wow. But Waylon interrupted his thoughts, "Why are you so curious about where I came from, Eddie?"

As playful as Waylon was being, this caught Eddie off guard, so he just decided to be honest. "Well, the truth is that I really want to know if you like being alone."

Waylon nearly stopped in his tracks. "What?"

Eddie could feel a blush creeping up his neck. He wished he could eat his words. "Yeah, um, well, it's just... you're always alone if Miles and I aren't bothering you."

Waylon did stop in his tracks this time. "You guys don't bother me."

Eddie scratched the back of his head and the blush kept growing. "I know but... you just seem like you really like being alone. For example, why did you move to such a small town if you could just as easily moved to into the city and have a shorter commute?"

Waylon tried to scoff it off but clearly something was bothering him. "It's... it's a long story, Eddie."

And Eddie didn't want Waylon to be alone with any uncomfortable thoughts. Something about Waylon just made Eddie feel so obliged to take care of him and he didn't know why. "I have time. We both have time."

Waylon sighed, defeated, but smiling. "Well, it's just that... this has been a long running thing with me where I don't trust people anymore."

Eddie raised an eyebrow. "Anymore? So you trusted people before?" _And before what exactly?_ He wanted to say but knew that would probably just seal Waylon up before the conversation even began.

Waylon sighed again. This time he wasn't smiling. "Well... it was before I began losing everyone."

"Everyone?"

"Yeah, like," Waylon shifted uncomfortably, like it was the first time he was telling something this. "My friends, my family, and my parents. Especially my parents. They didn't die or anything like that it's just... I lost them."

Eddie uncrossed his arms. "What do you mean? I really don't understand."

Eddie didn't know it, but right now, Waylon wished he could just crawl in a hole and die. He didn't want to revisit the past now that it was overwith, but apparently, it was inevitable. "Well.. it all started when I came out as a witch." Eddie nodded, encouraging Waylon to continue even though the smaller man felt like his heart was going to explode. "I first told my parents." Just like that, the memory came flashing back at him and his lip began to tremble. "They weren't okay with it at all, nearly threatening to kick me out. But they said that I was their son and therefore they loved me and they'd... they said they'd 'fix me.'" Eddie was about to stop Waylon when he continued, tears welling in his eyes. "They brought me to so many doctors and so many preists. I can't even remember all of them, not even their faces. All I remember is how much it all damaged me and for so long, I thought things were hopeless and there was no getting out of it unless-."

Then Waylon couldn't continue and he just stood there, limp and looking defeated. A few tears rolled from his eyes before Eddie hugged him. The lunge caught Waylon off guard, actually knocking him off his balance a bit, but Eddie was able to keep him vertical. He rubbed Waylon's back and murmured, "It's okay, darling, it's okay. You don't have to hide from us. You don't have to be alone anymore." He kissed a the tears away and Waylon just let him. Eddie's lips certainly were not soft but the pure gentleness and sincerirty of the gesture just made it feel so good. It was like when Waylon began practicing Wicca; everything was right, nothing was wrong with the world, and things were going to be okay.

So, before he could even give his mind time to say no, he kissed Eddie back. And as they kissed, the world just stood still.

* * *

The first thing Miles did when he woke up from his sick nap was look for food. Finding no preprepared food and then finding that Waylon and Eddie were not home, he grumbled angrily and dragged the blanket around his shoulders around the kitchen for a bit until he finally decided on heating up some of Eddie's soup from a few days ago. It still tasted as good as much as he didn't want to admit that it did.

Once he finished that up and placed his dish and such in the sink, he began dragging himself back to Waylon's room. When Miles tried to thank Waylon for letting him sleep in his bed, Waylon just brushed off the compliment gently, saying that there was no reason for him not to. But Miles felt like there was more to it, like Waylon could feel what Miles was feeling, as if through his actions, he was saying all the things Miles didn't want to admit. And what were those things? That Waylon made him so happy? That being with Waylon was where he saw himself in the next ten years? That he really was starting to fall for Waylon? He tried to fall asleep in bed to quell his thoughts but his constantly clogged up nose wouldn't let him lay flat so he sat at Waylon's desk and sulked, sniffling and coughing.

And Waylon had just happened to leave his computer screen open. The screen was black, but when Miles tapped the touchpad, a full page of coding was staring back at him. Even though Miles had worked with Jeremy, he didn't know anything about coding. It was all too much strict, one-way-only memorization for him. But scattered on the desk were notes of Waylon's. Most of them were indiscernable, but Miles could learn a lot from the rest and Miles could never explain it, but even though it looked like Waylon had been slaving away forever at this code, in only thirty seconds of rereading Waylon's notes, he figured out what was wrong; the financial data and dates didn't match up with the data about certain equipment that was added to Murkoff Technology's building. Eddie may have liked to joke with Miles and call him a scatterbrain and whatnot, but truly, it was this web-like association based way of thinking that allowed Miles to learn and outsmart, like when he outsmarted Jeremy so he and Eddie could escape.

His blood boiled just at the thought of Jeremy Blaire. And now he was in a position of power over Waylon? Their Waylon?? ... No, wait, HIS Waylon, NOT their Waylon. Waylon was his, not Eddie's as well... right?

Come to think of it, where were those two? It sounded like they were going for a walk but they had been gone for quite some time now and now Miles' was getting bored (even if it really had only been fifteen minutes since he woke up). So he decided to leave a little note for Waylon, bundle himself up, and go for a walk.

Miles could easily follow their trail, but suddenly, he could feel an intense energy around the corner and he was hearing Waylon groaning. His first thought was that Waylon was hurt so he immediately started running in that direction. He was about to shift into a more powerful form when he saw them.

Them. Waylon, his crush, and Eddie, his best friend, locking lips (amongst other things).

Miles' first feeling was hurt, but his first reaction was screaming. "YOU FUCKING BASTARD!" That separated them. But Miles wasn't done; he began stomping towards Eddie. "You fucking bastard! You're a fucking piece of shit, you know that?!"

Eddie, thinking he was talking to Waylon, immediately moved between his witch and his friend. "Darling, please calm down-!"

But Miles wasn't talking to Waylon.

Eddie was met with an uppercut to the jaw. He was going to again try to talk Miles out of his rage when Miles tried to sock him in the ribs. Eddie caught his fist, but Miles was faster, using the bent over position Eddie had put himself in to spin Eddie off his feet and onto his left arm. Miles was just about to start stepping on him when Waylon jumped over Eddie and between them. "MILES, NO!"

Being as Miles couldn't get to Eddie and didn't want to harm Waylon, he stopped and as he stopped, he started thinking again. What was he doing? Beating up his best friend. And all over a friendly competition? No... no, Miles didn't want to compete anymore. He just wanted Waylon. He wanted Waylon so bad. But even though Eddie was on the ground, clutching his left arm and keening, it looked like he lost the fight before he even got there. "... Eddie," He finally managed to say. "Eddie... Eddie, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to-."

But before Miles could finish his sentence, Eddie was groaning in pain as Waylon examined his arm. And even though he knew he deserved no pity here, that really hurt Miles to think he had hurt his friend like that. "I think it's just a sprain, d-d-darling." He finally managed to wheeze out. He was clearly talking to Waylon, but Miles hoped for a split second he was also talking to him. Eddie tried to use his other arm to get up but couldn't. Waylon went to help him, but he couldn't do it either, so Miles helped get Eddie onto his feet. They both let him with no words. When Miles got a good look at it, he truly felt like the shittiest person in the world; what was exposed of Eddie's arm was already beginning to bruise and swell.

And all because Eddie had won fair and square.

It was silent all the way home and even while Waylon was getting bandaging for Eddie's arm. When Eddie insisted Waylon just let him bandage himself, Waylon took Miles a few rooms away. "Miles, you're not in trouble, but I want to know why you did that."

Waylon's preface did not help at all, but Miles knew he had to swallow his pride and just say it finally. "Well, it's just... I... Eddie... it's funny that..." He sighed finally. "It's a long story."

Waylon, slightly peeved at Miles even though he said what he said, crossed his arms and countered, "I have time."

Miles didn't realize it, but he was holding his breath. When he finally released it, he couldn't help but feeling like he was drowning. As pathetic as it was, he slumped and tried to get his words out through tears. "I love you, Waylon. I loved you... but so did Eddie. So we agreed to a friendly competition for you and..." He laughed a pathetic laugh. "I guess I took it a little too far. Besides, Eddie won, I lost. I really shouldn't have done what I did and I'm sorry-."

Suddenly, Waylon hugged Miles. It didn't feel forced at all and that's what hurt the most, that Miles had strained their relationship - ALL of their relationships - and now, as much as he still wanted it, he couldn't see himself with Waylon in ten or even five or two years.

Waylon whispered in his ear, "Don't think I'm hugging you because I condone what you did. I just don't want to see you hurt so much."

Miles bit his lip. So it was true; Waylon really cared about him as much as he cared about Waylon. Miles supposed that was his consolation prize, as much as it doubled his pain.

The next day, while Miles was alseep, Waylon broke the news to Eddie that he couldn't be in a relationship with him. As much as Waylon liked Eddie, he didn't like that he was being treated as some posession to be won between him and Miles and behind his back too. Eddie understood, and just checked Waylon off as another heartbreak.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dang, that was a depressing ending to this chapter. I think the next chapter will start act III, per say.


End file.
